Promise of Reunion
by dumb-strider
Summary: Some time ago, Mary had indeed escaped to reality with which she dreamed. But was it worth if she left the most important thing to her behind? Now, she would need to return to the realm of her nightmares and fight her own fears. It would even be possible that she and a boy who she despised so much were able to rescue her lost "little sister"?
1. Prologue

**Promise of Reunion**

**Prologue - Tea, macarons and weird warnings**

* * *

It's been about two years since the last exhibition of the deceased and popular artist Guertena. After having gone through so much suffering, that day, Mary was able to escape to the real world, but without her "little sister", Ib. So much time has passed, so many people, so many worlds and alternate realities she could experience, but this has been an alone time, the cause of her weeping dawns that much worried "her" parents. If she knew she would leave Ib alone in the middle of that horrible place, she would have changed that ending. She would have made a different choice. Maybe everything would be better if she had never been born? "No," she cried, pushing these negative thoughts from her head. If she had done something horrible, she would have to pay her mistake with her own hands. Since Mary left the gallery, she dedicated herself to doing everything Ib had planned for her future. Ib was still very young then, but Mary was determined that it would fulfill with the wills left by Ib. Among them, something that Ib herself said before taking Mary to the real world was that she could never forget that Garry one day was part of her history. Just thinking of his name, a shiver ran through the spine of Mary. It's not like she hated him, but would never be able to forgive someone who condemned both, someone who has done so badly to her. However, she did understand the suffering of the lonely Garry, because she understood as well as he what In meant in both their lives. Would it still be possible to see her once again...?

The girl's thoughts were cut off when she heard her name being called by a thick voice. He had finally arrived. How much longer he wanted her to wait? If it wasn't for the bonds of fate and past that bound them, Mary would never find herself sitting at the same table with him, enjoying one - tell by the way - good lemongrass tea accompanied by macarons of different colours. "Good afternoon," he said, hastily, still panting from running. Mary threw a delicate sneer sight, that for luck or for lack of attention, went unnoticed by Garry. The typical encounters of Tuesdays were always silent, a few words were exchanged and they would always end buying some macarons and tea to not to miss the trip. In particular, Mary had noticed the change in appearance of the man sitting in front of her: At the time of the exhibition back then, he was slightly slimmer (not that now was fat, had just won some muscles) and he didn't dress anymore with those "beggar clothes" (according to the description of the girl), though his hair and tired eyes have remained the same. Mary was also suspected to speak, her long blond hair was cut and now formed small curls below her shoulders. She also had exchanged the traditional green dress envisioned by Guertena for a school uniform composed of a red and white plaid skirt and a white blouse with their school emblem sewn into a pocket close to her chest.

She thought that this would be one more typical Tuesday meeting, but something really caught the attention of both. "Everyone, come all!" One young man, dressed as a clown passed through the streets, calling attention. As soon as he found the gaze of Mary, he approached the girl. "Hello young lady! Please pick up a flyer! And you too, sir!". He also handed a pamphlet to Garry. "I bet you two will have lots of fun". With this, the clown got away to call more people. As soon as he pulled away, Garry thought of saying something to Mary, but when he looked at her, he realized she was indeed very strange. She was pale, with trembling hands and her face was sketched with an expression of fear and worry. "Garry, that! That!" She stammered "J-J-Juggling". He then looked startled. He hadn't noticed the similarity of the strange clown and picture on the gallery. It was quite a coincidence. But maybe it was a coincidence. Yes, maybe it was just a coincidence. Until he read the paper that said "Great Exhibition of Art - 100 Years of Guertena". He was so scared that he left the paper fall. Garry put his shaky hands on his face. In his head he could only see a single picture: The face of Ib. Garry looked slowly to Mary and felt (for the first time, by the way) sorry for the girl. She was also shocked. She was kneeling on the floor with her hands over her head and crying uncontrollably. As soon as their gaze met, they knew what to do: Go after Ib

* * *

**Note:** I hate writing chapters so short like that, Jesus-fucking-Christ. But since it's a prologue I believe we can get through it. Still ugh short chapters make me sick. Oh well. See you all in neeext chapter!


	2. Chapter 1

**Promise of Reunion**

**Chapter 1 - Yellow-discord and blue-loneliness**

* * *

The venue of the exhibition was particularly full. Mary didn't think Guertena was that famous. Was even that possible that he was so well known? She once had heard rumors that he had given an interview to a popular newspaper in the country. It was weird. If he were so famous he wouldn't have gone through so many financial problems back then, with all of his paintings and sculptures locked in his own home. "Weird..." she stammered, without noticing she said that. "Something's wrong, Mary?" Garry looked curious towards her. "I-it's nothing, I was just thinking too loud", she said, turning her face away and sinking her cold hands in her coat pocket. That Saturday afternoon was surprisingly cold. Mary could swear that yesterday it was an unbearable heat. The instability of weather had passed without her noticing.

No more suddenly, they heard sounds of some drums. "Welcome, welcome! I'm so honored by your presence! "The clown, which Mary pointed as "Juggling", began his speech. The speech of the clown - no - the juggler, anything served to Mary. But still, it was as if she knew that his gaze were everytime trying to find the missing girl's eyes. At the end of the speech, the people around started clapping. "Bravo!", "Magnificent", "Splendid!". Some girls near Garry said. Mary couldn't describe the feeling, but she knew she had knew such women from elsewhere. Three young women were very similar - identical, if she was allowed to say. However, something strange was happening to them. Mary could easily hear their voices, but she wasn't able to see clearly the details of their faces. She was aware that they all had the same colour of eyes and hair, but she couldn't tell which colour it was. It was also very strange that their dresses had the same style, but with different colors. Mary thought of saying something about it to Garry, but the sound of her words out completely ignored when they opened the doors to the entrance to the gallery.

"Shall we?" Garry kindly extended his hand to Mary. She hesitated for a moment. She looked back for a few seconds, she looked at the cherry petals falling from a tree with the sound of the breeze. She sighed. Could she even get out of that place alive? Would they be able to reverse the "unhappy ending"? Of course. She smiled. There wouldn't be only two to go back. Yes, certainly. "Of course," she launched her confident look to Garry and pulled him into the gallery. The glass doors opened with a creak. By entering the gallery, voices and voices were heard. Many languages clashed in the gallery space: from the traditional English until totally different languages, such as Hungarian. Garry noted that the gallery was broader than when they had met for the first time. Well, he didn't expect it to be exactly the same, but in the end, the few differences were that the gallery was much broader. The - now - four floors of the gallery were more widely spaced, where the sculptures weren't as stick togehter as it were in the last gallery.

Both walked side by side while exploring the gallery. Something was relatively strange there, but it was hard to tell what. The heavy atmosphere, people's voices, this bizarre feeling that didn't leave Mary's head began to grow more and more. The hours passed like seconds off the consent of both Mary and Garry. Almost like a wink, the night had fallen and the gallery was _almost_ deserted. Garry hastened to leave the place, but it was too late. "Well, if it's not the 'blue rose of solitude'" Juggling locked the door and leaned against it. "You..." Mary threw an angry look to the juggler - or better - the painting. "I should know ... It was much more than a coincidence..." she said. Juggling laughed in a macabre way and approached the girl "Why Mary, why you abandoned us? The 'yellow rose of discord', the last of all, just the dearest, how can you betray us like that?" He touched her face and in a moment of rage she gave him a slap in the face. He cried out in pain. "See Mary, isn't it wonderful? I, you, now we all _feel_. The pain, oh the pain, feeling things isn't magical?" He laugh again "Now tell me, what are you going to do? You yourself can see, there is no escape". Mary closed her eyes, "I didn't come here because I needed an outlet, my dear clown. But..." She grabbed Garry's hand and began to run "But because I need an entry!". They went up together to the fourth floor, being followed by Juggling, until they reached the desired floor. Yellow walls decorated the place where there was a door and six painting - three on each side of the door. The question was simple and complicated at the same time: "Who is speaking the truth?". Six people, only one saying the truth. There wasn't enough time to think straight, each said something, a talk that didn't cease, the words flipping Garry's head. What was the response? Mary then noticed a dagger, small, almost impossible to see, just a tip of the blade shimmering behind the frame. Garry without thinking, overthrew the frame and grabbed the blade. "Attack them!" Mary cried as she tried to stop Juggling, furious, to keep in the way. One by one, the paintings began to fill with blood, and behind them it could read "Liar!", until the answer came in the door "Four steps to two steps east and north." Garry did what the instructions and sent to take the final step, a key appeared on the floor. Quickly, Garry took the key and unlocked the door. "Mary!" He shouted, and pulled the girl. Thus, both fell in the darkness behind the door that would lead to a world stranger than previously known: The depths of the gallery.

* * *

**Note:** Shit. I did it again. Short chapter wyudfgwuge. I rest my case 38/


	3. Chapter 2

**Promise of Reunion**

**Chapter 2 - Sequence**

* * *

Garry slowly opened his eyes, still stunned by all that had happened in a very short period of time. He sat down and rested his hands lightly on the head. What had happened? He vaguely remembered that he had met Mary and they both visited the gallery. Mary? Gallery? Oh right. Quickly he recovered the memories. He opened a door and they had fallen somewhere. He rubbed his eyes, forcing his vision, clearly in vain. His dark blue eyes, so dark they almost remitted the color violet, didn't see anything much more than a large room, apparently empty and dark. The ticking of the clock - which he wondered where it was and what it was like, because he couldn't find it why and his curiosity led him to think what size should the clock have to sound so vociferously - was intense and unnerved, as if some time limit was expiring. He got up slowly and heard whispers from Mary. She, almost as stunned as him, took slowly to wake up, but as her eyes opened, she stood in a jump. With hands firmly gripped on her dagger, she looked thoroughly the surroundings in search of an enemy, but in the end she only found Garry. She sighed in relief - wasn't caught off guard. "We're safe", she whispered. "And now, where are we?" Garry asked, expecting a positive response. "Oh no.." Mary put her hands over her head. "Hey, are you okay?" He approached the girl. "Garry... Do you forget everything that easy...?" she pointed to the floor, and then things started to become clear. As if a switch had been turned on in the room, blue lights slowly began to emerge, and symbols - as if they have been drawn with crayons by a child - became bright on the floor.

No other words needed to be said. Sketchbook. The imaginary world of Mary, whose laws went beyond the domain of any one except herself. Where the simpler designs could become the worst nightmare of even the bravest man. Garry sighed. Poor girl. He knew well what suffering was, but by one way or another, his life took a leap to a better future. But she. She was always in the middle ground of balance between hope and despair. A girl who now have what, 16 years? That even in a single day passed without suffering, afraid of the dark? There was such a burden to carry. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible" Mary said, dispelling any thoughts that prevented Garry to act. "How about that door there in the background?" he pointed to a bright yellow door that called much attention "Trying doesn't cost anything after all, doesn't it?". Even after numerous attempts, the door wouldn't open. "Damn..." she sighed, until his gaze was caught in drawings on the wall.

A sequence of drawings - a Heart, an Eye, a Moon, a Sun, a Star, a Spiral, a Cherry and a Pair of Lips - was followed by the word "Start". They looked curious. What was it in the first place? Mary looked, looked, looked and still didn't understand. The sequence of drawings formed a curl. Garry looked at the drawings on the floor. There was a large square drawn, and some red spots called attention. But what most got attention was a drawing, a drawing that looked like an explosion. What could that mean? "We cannot waste time, we need to decrypt it!" she looked up, annoyed and worried for Garry. But they were empty words, since neither knew what it was - and to think that she was the author herself.

"Come on Mary, try to remember something!" Garry said, already starting to get nervous, fidgeting fingers in his hair, showing that he was really anxious. "But I do not remember! And you, help me! You've been here, haven't you?" she cried. Well, that was true, he was there. But what really happened? He could just remember of Ib, clinging to his arm. Ah yes. Ib. He gave an expression of disappointment. Ib was who had solved this "puzzle" before. Garry just stood in the wall that time, as he watched the girl jumping strongly, button on button. And then like in a snap, the key was there. But the question is, the door was already open. What they needed was to open the door, and not a stupid key. Door. A door, it was just what they needed. Door ... Oh yeah! "Mary I remembered something important!" he exclaimed excitedly. "And what is that?" she felt forced to pay attention, excited about the idea. "Look, before we were here - I mean, Ib and I - that door was already open. We weren't here, the door was already open. But then I remembered: Before we get here, we need to open that door. And door was barred with a wall of ice, a solid ice with just the touch make we tingle!". Now Mary smiled "That's it! Ice!" she ran up to one wall, passing the tip of the dagger. Then they heard a scratch, a sound shrill and horrible, which made Garry shiver all over. She made a sign with her hand, as if calling him. "Break the ice" she ordered. He cast a look of evident contempt - cheeky little girl - but still he hammered the ice with the dagger. It was a small weapon, which took hours and hours to finish the job, but finally he managed to open a passage and they left.

"Yay!" both exclaimed. But still there was nothing to celebrate. The outside didn't have a door. "No..." Mary murmured. "We still have to decipher that code if we want to find Ib...". They looked around. The small fortress made of chalk still remained the same. Mary's heart felt a little pain to see everything again. She vaguely remembered some drawings, such a hurt and resentful vision. Everything was so precious that time... But now it sounded like a horrible nightmare. She sighed. "Hey Garry, let's take a look around... Maybe we can find out how to decipher what?". "Well, let's go..." he sighed, and both walked side by side, watching every detail in the vague hope of finding what they sought.

* * *

**Note:** WOW. I SUCK. Worst author ever.


End file.
